Guard and ledger plate for mowing machines or like



R. L. FULTON Oct. 19, 1937.

GUARD AND LEDGER PLATE FOR MOWING MACHINES OR LIKE Filed Aug. 27, 1956 INVENTOR.

BY 11L- FULTEIN ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 19, 193 7 UNITED STATES GUARD AND LEDGER. PLATE FOR. MOW- IVNG MACHINES-0R LIKE Robert L. Fulton, Webster City, Iowa A Application August 27, 1936, Serial No. 98,134

' 1 Claim. (o1. s-311) The principal object of my invention is to provide a combination mower guard and easily removable and replaceable ledger plate.

A further object of this invention is to provide 5 a mower guard having a ledger plate that, when once secured in position on the guard is rigid and which permits the removal of the guard and plate from the mower and the plate from the guard by the removal of a single bolt. 7

A still further object of my invention is to provide a mower guard and ledger plate that is economical in manufacture, durable and efiicient in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 7

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,

2O pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side sectional View of my mower guard with the ledger plate securedin place.

Fig. 2 is a top sectional view of my device and more fully'illustrates its construction.

Fig, 3 is a cross-sectional view of my device taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of my guard and plate taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the ledger plate of my device.

Fig. 6 is a side plan view of the ledger plate of my device.

The ordinary sickle guard for mowing machines has the ledger plate securely riveted to the guard in such a way that it can not be easily removed even by a skilled workman. Because of this the complete guard and ledger plate unit is usually thrown away and a new one substituted.

The ledger plate is of relatively simple construction and is cheap to manufacture, however, the guard is more complicated to manufacture and does not have any material wear imposed upon it when the machine is in operation. Consequently one of the guards could outlast an innumerable number of ledger plates. A user is reluctant to throw away the old guard when the plate becomes dull and' consequently uses the ledger plate beyond its useful efficient life and the throwing away of the guard is merely an economic waste. Obviously there are many guards on a sickle bar assembly. Furthermore, the ledger plates now in use become loosened through wear and no provision is made for tightening these plates except by re-crimping the rivets, oftenresulting in the breakage of the guard as the guards are generally constructed of a cast metal. I have overcome'these disadvantages as will be appreciated and asis hereinafter set forth. 5

Referring to the drawing I have used the nu-' meral It! to designate the base portion of my device guard portion which is of the same substantial contour as the mower guards now in use.

The numeral l i designates the usual guard bar 10 of a mowing machine to which the rear end of the guards ID are secured by a bolt or like I2. The rear upper side of the guard H] has formed therein a recess 13 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. 15

The numeral I 4 designates two spaced apart lugs integrally formed on the upper surface'of the guard I0 which have their rearward faces vertical to contact the forward edge of the guard bar H in the usual manner. The numeral 15. designates a step or raised portion of the guard which forms a tableto receive a ledger plate. The numeral l6 designates the usual upwardly and rearwardly extending fender as shown in Fig.1 of thedrawing. -The numeral ll desig- 25 nates a guide recess formed in the forward part of the guard in prolongation of the plane, and forward of, the table 15 as shown in Fig. 1 of the 1 drawing.

I have used the numeral I8 to designate my 30 ledger plate having a tongue I9 formed on its forward end capable of entering and engaging the guide recess ll. This plate 18 has the usual upwardly and outwardly extending cutting serrations along its side marginal edges, is wider 35 at its rearward end and has diagonal shoulders 20 and 2| formed thereon as shown in Fig. 2. It

' is upon the plate I8 that the usual reciprocating sickle blade ofthe mower rides when cutting. V Integrally formed on the rear central portion of 0 the plate 13 is a tang 22 which is bent downwardly the distance of the step I 5 and thence rearwardly and upwardly, extending between the lugs l4 and into the recess l3 where it is clamped under the bar H as shown in Fig. 1. 5

The numerals 23 and 24 designate the usual two common spacer arms extending at right angles to the vertical section of the guard ID. The ends of these spacer arms contact the ends of the adjacent spacer arms on other guards in'the mower 50 as will be appreciated by those familiar with mowers. Integrally formed on the inner ends of these arms 23 and 24 are the shoulders 25 and 26 respectively which have a diagonal inner face for supporting the shoulders 20 and 2| respectively 55 of the plate 18. It will be here noted that the vertical face of the step l5 is channeled torre- 'ceiv e the downwardly extending portion of the tang 22 as shown by dotted lines in Fig; 2 and 7' 5 that the rearwardly extending portion of the tang also rests in a channel in the guard III as V r shown in Fig. 3. V

- be properly bent downwardly from the portion 1 8,

root of the tang as shownin Fig'. 2 to form re cessed notches '30. e

" 'The'rpraotical' operation of my device is V f followsfwhenthe cutting edge ofjthe plate 'I'B hasfdulle'd; the nutis 'rernovedefrom" the bolt 12 and'the guard removed; [The ledgerplateis then lifted out and discarded; j A new, blade is-t.hen, inserted adfollows: The tongue I! is inserted" in the guide recess l1 and theflplate liBIiscn I ta'ct with the table l5, the shoulders Zlandll are in contact with the shoulders and ZB reof the tang 22 extends upwardly so thatits reari' Ward "end is above the upper face of the rear end ofjthegguardfll to, the rearjof the lugs l4; ;'I'he guardis then put in place .on-the guard'bar I,

a the bolt-l2 passed. through the bar H and guard u is; action springs the tang, 22' downwardly and,

' as the tongue :19, is securein the recess IT, tightly Q holds the plate l 8 imposition,- and prfivents move- ;ment of the plate in any direction.,., 7

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a rnower guard wherein. the easily- 'deta hable l d er-p ate isisecured to, t e uard by 'the same m eansthat'thef uard is secured to the V mower, Thus by remoyingf the uard, 10. from the bar I l, the plate laris freed and canbe merely.

" 'lifted frompthe guardand replaced or cleaned.

,yAlsO?the;1edger;plate remains {in rigid alignrneht ongthe guard, is economical inmanufacture and the ledgerplatecan be replaced innumerable r 1 times thusjsaving'theguard and, due to thesmall In order that the tang 22 can 'the portion 18 is ,cut away at each side of the ably included withinits scope.

sriectively; thus preventing, j movement I' of the nlateinanyzbutanupward direction." The tang V 2-2 rliestin ther'channel in the guard and between V -thejlugsi 1!; i The rearwardly extending portion" 10 andlthe'nut'placed on the boltand tightenedi cost of the ledger plate, the user may replace them often and obtain greater efficiency from his'mower. 7

My device may be used on all types of apparatus 5 7 using a sickle mowing machine, such as ordinary mowing machines, binders, comblnesgand like.

' Some changes may be made in the construction I and arrangement of my improved'guard'and, cut

ting plate for mowing machines or like without departing ifrom -the real spirit and purpose of i 7 'my invention, and ituis my intention to cover by V claim any modified forms of structure or use ofmechanical equivalents which may be reason- I claim? signed tobe tsecurednear its rearward endportionto we bar of a mowing apparatus a raised surfaoe on said guard forward of itsrearr ward portion, oppositelyjextendlng spacer arms I-n'a deviceof the classfdes'cribed, aguard'def on said guardne'artherear portion of :said raised I surfaoeinf said 1guard,*ashoulder,e1ement on the innerend of each of said spacer arms having its :f

inside 'iaceextending forwardly and outwardly, V 'amecess forward" of the raisedsurfane'of'saidp uard, paigledgeri'plate designed "to rest'on said raised surface having its rear: end portions con forming with :and contacting said shoulders on said spacer. arms; a. tongue on the forward end i 30 recess, a tang integrallyrformedjon the-rearward {Q 1 endr'of iledge rxplate extending first downwardly from saidraised surface and then rear wardly anduupwaldly to a .positionibetween the"; V 1'" of saidguardfbarof said mowingiapparatus', an,

of said ledger? plate entering and engaging said upper surface of said guardandft'he under surface means 7 for securing said 7 guard: to said guard bar with said betwe nthe same, and undertensi n,; and a cutaoutrzportion in sa d .le'de r' p at -f at; ea hisldeotisaidtang where' aid tang the ea p a e ofsa d; l dser p a e ROBERT 11.1 Fo m .0 V tegrally formed with-said, plate 'whereby said v t ns may. ext nd di ect y d wnwa dly wa d o 7 

